I Have to Say It

If you know me at all, you know that one of the biggest curses of being me is that I can't keep my mouth shut. Ever. If something bothers me, you know it. If I have an opinion, I tell you. And if I want you to think I'm hilarious, I'll get drunk and dance on a table. I have no shame when it comes to being obnoxious....so in keeping with my "put it all out there" spirit, I have to say this: I'm terrified that Barack Obama is probably going to be our next president.
Before you Obama supporters say "Oh God, another right-wing fanatic,", let me explain....

I don't think that Obama is the Antichrist, as some religious groups have suggested. In my opinion, that sounds ridiculous and frankly, a bit ignorant.

I also don't think that he is a terrorist. I don't believe that being friends with Bill Ayers makes Obama a bad guy. I do think that that friendship, combined with his quiet acceptance of the hateful, racist rantings of Jeremiah Wright, speaks to far-left leaning mentality, but I don't think Barack Obama himself is a bad guy.

I also don't think that, just because he campaigned for his cousin in Africa, who commandeered all sorts of violence when he lost his election, that means that Obama is a violent, hateful person. On the contrary. I truly believe that Barack Obama is a humanist. I believe that he genuinely believes in helping those less fortunate. And I admire that.

But here is my fear: Income redistribution is a slippery slope. I don't think America was founded on socialist principals and while Obama says he isn't socialist, his health care policies, as well as his economic policies say otherwise.

It sounds wonderful that we would tax big corporations while giving refund checks to people who are too poor to even pay taxes in the first place. It sounds very Utopian, very loving, very humane. But here's what will most certainly happen if you tax big corporations. They will either raise their prices to compensate for the tax increases, which hurts the consumer, or they will lay people off. Or both.
The middle class in this country is not what drives our economy. I'm married to a financial guy and even though he doesn't care much about politics, he says the basics are simple: the rich people are what keep this economy going...tax the rich and they quit spending or quit investing in our stock market, which makes the dollar value go down, which drives our economy into the toilet. Where it is now. Democratic policies got us into this mess....I'm so afraid that more liberal, democratic policies will seriously put us into a depression.

Not to mention that when he revokes the Bush tax cuts, we ALL will see a decrease in our monthly income. (yes, corporations, including oil companies will too, but like I said before...when their taxes go up, they will just put it out on us.) Because we, the upper middle class (Obama's definition of middle class is what I would consider "upper poor"), are going to suffer the most. We aren't rich enough to find tax loopholes and we aren't poor enough to benefit from Obama's policies. When he says 95% of Americans will not see an increase in their taxes, he's not lying. He's not going to raise your taxes. But he is going to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, which WILL raise your taxes in the long run.

The last thing is health care. I think our health care system is broken in that insurance companies have been allowed to jack prices up sky high so that people who are struggling can't afford basic health care. I think that is an outrage. But the fact remains that we do have one of the best health care systems in the country. Not financially, but medically. There is a reason that people from Canada, Sweden and other countries with socialized medicine come here for treatment. I, personally, have seen how the government runs things and the last thing I want them in charge of is my health care. Especially if I have a serious condition. Imagine if you are, God forbid, diagnosed with a malignant tumor. The doctor isn't sure he can treat it, but he has an experimental medicine he'd like to try. You think the government is going to TRY to heal you? No way. They are going to pay for the basics. There will be no more research or experimental treatment because there will be no money in it.


There. I just had to say it. I know it's the celebrity-cool, hip thing to do to be for Obama, but if you haven't looked at the facts of his economic policies, please do. PLEASE...Not the facts on his website, which (just as McCain's are) are spun to his advantage. Look at the facts on Bloomberg Television or CNN or Fox News Channel. Look at an objective website or TV channel and see if you can afford these policies. I know I can't.

And to my dear friends, and possibly family, who will vote for Obama next week...I still love you and when we all lose our asses in 2009, I won't hold you personally responsible. I will, however, ask you for a room in your house!